I wrote a
blog post on "Light & Lotus". You should read it. Well, I'd like you to read it, anyways. Here are two excerpts from it:
My Immune System is an Over-Achiever:It was the 1st week of January. I had just finished recovering from the flu and was finishing a preventative course of antibiotics when I began having diarrhea again. This time, the diarrhea was different and came with a very high level of urgency. I couldn't leave the house. Lomotil was completely ineffective. I immediately switched back to an all-liquid diet, but it had no effect. The GI doctor on call over the weekend put me on Flagyl (in case the antibiotics had given me the infamous C-difficile bacterial infection) and told me to increase my Prednisone dose to 20mg a day. These measures helped moderately, but not enough. I switched to all-liquids, but it seemed like even the Ensure was causing the pain to increase. By the end of the 2nd week of January, I was beginning to have a lot of pain right below my right rib cage. By Sunday, January 13th, the pain was severe enough that I was regularly screaming out in pain.
I am not the kind of person to scream at pain. I have a very high pain tolerance. But this pain was unlike any I’d ever experienced. It throbbed on the pain scale at a 9 and then the spasms would make that 9 seem insignificant. Concerned, my husband contacted my GI, who told me that it was likely my Crohn’s responding to a new trigger food and to take some of my left-over hip replacement surgery pain medications.
That Monday, January 14th, I woke up to the same level of pain. I struggled to care for our 5 cats, but gave up in the middle of their breakfast. I just couldn't continue on like this any longer. I contacted my husband and told him he had to come home. Now. Thankfully, he did. Once he arrived home, we planned on taking me to the emergency room. As I was getting ready to go, I began feeling very nauseated. I ran to the bathroom, swallowed the vomit… and had to shout for my husband to help me down to the floor.
“I can’t do this any more. Call an ambulance.”
One ambulance ride, 12 hours waiting for a room on a stretcher in the hallway of the emergency room triage area (luckily right next to a bathroom), several tests later, I was finally given a diagnosis:
Pancreatitis.Usually caused by severe alcoholism or gallstones. Neither of which were applicable to me.
I spent 3 days NPO—nothing by mouth but ice chips—and was started on IV fluids, pain killers, and 15mg of IV steroids every 6 hours. By Tuesday afternoon, I was feeling much better. The pain was still very much present, but it wasn't at all comparable to the pain I’d been in.
And being in the hospital began to have an unintended effect on me: because I wasn't feeling up to doing anything and was constantly being interrupted, I spent most of my time sitting and waiting. Just sitting, just waiting. Mindfully. I've always wanted to attend a Buddhist retreat and been unable to because of my health challenges, and now it felt like my health had finally allowed me to go on the retreat I’d always wanted to attend.
Thursday morning, I was allowed clear fluids: apple juice, chicken broth, jello. I’m normally not a fan of apple juice, and I’d have enough chicken broth in November to last me a life-time, but after 3 days of ice chips? They. were. fantastic.
Two days later, I was released from the hospital, with a tentative diagnosis of
Autoimmune Pancreatitis (because my immune system is one hell of an over-achiever!)...
Mindful, Thankful, *Wonder-full* Eating:For years, I tried to lose weight and find a way to eat more mindfully. I wouldn't have chosen to lose the weight this way or to learn how to eat mindfully by losing the ability to eat for several days, but I’m grateful to my body for this gift.
Eating—having the ability to eat, having access to food—is a gift. It’s a precious gift, one too many people in this world don’t have.
When I eat now, it’s with a sense of wonder. May I never forget.
This may well be my last post on Emily until the day I'm finally able to take her home. 
accomplished
embarrassed
pensive
grateful
okay
hungry
good
contemplative
crappy
better
busy
amused
nervous
I've come to realize that I take so many wonderful pictures while at Chesapeake Cats and Dogs that I should share them... by making a blog: 
discontent
angry
loved
uncomfortable